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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the intense discussion over their future often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to end their lives unless the federal government funds the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a position that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with contrasting natures.

“Eve selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “They changed the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say points to the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … get far higher quality veterinary services and around the clock care than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park thought details of the death were leaked to the press and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “significant staff”, equipment and machinery.

“There’s no way in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s government official rejected a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a continued situation in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister stated. “As society, we know that whales are meant for the wild, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing approve an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reveal a broader misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has been highly debated. The future site, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a viable approach in the short term.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the facility will mimic the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|